Picking Up the Beat

It's been well over a year since I sold a drum ornament.  I'd pretty much given up hope on them, and was rooting about uselessly in my brain for something else to try.  Then, a few weeks ago, the phoenix drum sold.  The person who bought it also asked for another drum: a snow leopard.  They even provided a reference picture.

It wasn't a great time to do a commission.  Various bugs were attacking various relatives.  I'd just seen Avatar, which derails one's artistic vision the way reading the perfect novel derails one's writing vision: in a thousand thousand years of finger-bleeding, eye-tearing practice, I don't think I could ever come up with a world as varied and beautiful as Pandora.  And it had been a year since I picked up a brush, let alone tried to paint with one.  But a commission was a commission, and I'd be lying if I said I couldn't use the money.

It took me two or three days to unearth my drum-making supplies, and another day to figure out what I still had and what I needed to replace. I was annoyed and disturbed about how much I'd forgotten about making drum ornaments, and how much I had to relearn on the fly.  Long story short, I got the thing done and delivered one day under my stated two-week deadline. (Whether or not it's been picked up yet, I haven't heard, but I'm happy knowing that I can still hit a deadline, even from such a flat-footed start.)  While I was at it, I decided to dust off the cobwebs - figuratively and literally - and do up a couple more drums.  I did a second snow leopard, this time from my own reference photo (because there was some initial miscommunication on the color of drum the client wanted, and I wanted my tail covered in any eventuality), and a special drum in honor of the upcoming Year of the Tiger.

I just finished the last one today, and plan to drop the two new drums off tomorrow.  I also plan to raise my prices by a few bucks... especially for the danged tiger.

For pictures, follow the links...

Snow Leopard (Commission): Front Back Close-up

Snow Leopard (Other): Front Back Close-Up

Year of the Tiger: Front Back Close-Up

I wish I could say I was 100% happy with them.  I wish I could say that, in a year of working on art and filling sketchbooks, I'd improved.  I wish I could say that the drums flew from my workbench on golden wings, with nary a frustration or misstep or hair-pulling scream of agony.  I wish I could say all that, and more, but I can't.

What I can say is that, while stringing and painting and gluing and beading, I learned something.  As aggravating as the process could be, I missed it.  I missed making physical objects with my art.  I missed making things with my hands.  I missed seeing an end result, rather than page after page after page of sketches.

I suppose this means that, in between filling more sketchbooks and editing my story and searching for extra income, I'll have to squeeze in making stuff at my workbench again.

Dang it.